(SAUDI ARABIA) Saudi Arabia has launched a new instant e-Visa platform that allows eligible travelers to apply online and receive approvals in as little as one minute, a move officials say is designed to speed up entry, cut paperwork, and widen access for tourists, business visitors, and Umrah pilgrims. Rolled out in August 2025 and expanding through the autumn, the system is central to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 agenda to modernize border services, raise visitor numbers, and bolster tourism mobility across key markets.
The platform, available to citizens of more than 60 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, EU Schengen states, and India, standardizes a digital pathway for short stays and multiple-entry visits. Most e-Visas under the new system offer a validity of one year and allow stays of up to 90 days per visit, with a maximum of 180 days in a year, depending on the category. Authorities say the redesign is aimed at removing bottlenecks that once required physical submissions or prolonged waits and aligning the experience with other major destinations adopting fully online entry systems.
Applicants complete the process entirely online by entering personal and passport details, uploading a passport photo and any required documents, and paying the fee by credit or debit card. Processing can be rapid: tourist e-Visas are typically issued within 24 to 48 hours, but the platform supports near-instant decisions in some cases. For travelers who need faster service, urgent options are available for an extra charge, including one-hour processing—listed at $99 for U.S. applicants on certain channels—reflecting the push to simplify last-minute trips for conferences, events, or family visits.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has positioned the change as a structural shift in how the Kingdom handles short-stay arrivals.
“The KSA Visa platform…provides an all-in-one digital system for visitors wishing to connect with relatives and friends, attend events, explore tourist attractions, or perform Umrah outside the Hajj season,” the ministry said in a statement outlining the expanded e-service.
The ministry has also described its objective as to “simplify entry for millions of travelers by consolidating information, application, and processing into a single, transparent, and user-friendly platform,” pointing to a unified hub that reduces confusion over categories, fees, and documentation.
Tourism and business mobility are at the heart of the rollout. The e-Visa platform supports tourism, business visits, family and friends visits, and Umrah outside the Hajj season. Officials say this breadth matters because many trips do not fit neatly into a single category, particularly when travelers combine tourism with a trade fair or short training. The system’s ability to handle multi-entry permits and longer validity aims to encourage repeat visits and make itineraries less rigid, which is a priority as Saudi Arabia opens up new leisure sites and major events under Vision 2030.
For pilgrims, the government has paired the e-Visa expansion with an Umrah-specific digital channel. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said the new Umrah system is “fully integrated with government networks to speed up visa issuance and service delivery,” adding that “The new system has a multilingual interface in seven languages and is fully integrated with government networks to speed up visa issuance and service delivery.” The Umrah platform went live on August 20, 2025, and is designed to let users submit their visa applications and book supporting services—flights, accommodation, and local transport—within the same digital ecosystem, reducing the need to juggle multiple sites or agencies.
Fees are being presented more transparently under the updated framework. Tourist e-Visas are listed around SAR 300 (roughly $80–90) and include required health insurance, a notable shift from previous outlays reported by some applicants. Business visit visas typically range from $100 to $500 depending on nationality and duration, while family visit visas are commonly priced between $200 and $800. Umrah-related costs can vary widely by country and package, often running from $500 into the low thousands when bundled with accommodation, transport, and service charges. Authorities warn that some third-party platforms may add service fees of $50 to $150, and expedited processing can run an extra $50 to $200 depending on speed and provider. The government also retains a visa-on-arrival option for eligible nationalities, with payment by card at airport kiosks.
The shift is especially noticeable for Indian travelers. Before the new system, published tourist e-Visa charges for Indian citizens commonly ran to about SAR 756 (approximately ₹16,000) for a single-entry visa, according to prior fee schedules cited in reports. Under the updated pricing for many tourist applicants, the headline amount sits closer to SAR 300, with processing that is faster and documentation that is lighter. That recalibration ties directly to the Kingdom’s push to draw more first-time visitors and to make short-term stays for study visits, skills training, seminars, and business networking more practical. Officials say the streamlined e-Visa approach is meant to reduce visa lead times, helping prospective visitors set travel dates without the uncertainty that often comes with long consular waits.
Beyond India, the over-60-country eligibility net is crucial to Saudi Arabia’s wider tourism mobility targets. The government is betting that a smoother e-Visa platform will support the rise of destination cities now being promoted to foreign visitors, from heritage sites to coastal resorts, and help sustain international attendance for major sports and cultural events anchored in the calendar. Multi-entry, one-year validity and stay limits of up to 90 days per visit are meant to encourage follow-on trips, whether for family reunions or repeated business meetings over several months. These practical details—how quickly a visitor gets a visa and whether the same permit lets them return—often decide whether plans become bookings.
The application flow is straightforward. Applicants create a profile on the official portal, enter passport data, and upload a photo that meets the specified dimensions. The passport must be valid for at least six months. Payment is processed electronically and receipts are issued for tracking. Decisions are emailed, often the same day. Officials and travel advisers have suggested that travelers keep proof of payment and consider refundable arrangements when booking flights or hotels until the e-Visa arrives, even if approvals are typically quick. That advice reflects the reality that any system can see delays, but it also underscores the confidence authorities have placed in the new processing pipeline.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah have both framed the digitization drive as part of a wider government effort to put more services online and link them behind the scenes. In practice, that means the e-Visa system cross-checks identity and eligibility through integrated government networks, aiming to cut manual handoffs that once slowed applications. For Umrah pilgrims, the government says the new channel’s seven-language interface is intended to make it easier for first-time users to follow step-by-step instructions without relying on intermediaries.
“The new system has a multilingual interface in seven languages and is fully integrated with government networks to speed up visa issuance and service delivery,” the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said, doubling down on speed and clarity for religious travelers planning trips outside the Hajj season.
Processing timelines and price tiers vary by category and nationality, and the government has kept some flexibility to adjust fees or service options as demand evolves. Tourist e-Visas are among the fastest, with one-hour or same-day issuance available through expedited pathways. Business and family visit visas can take longer depending on the specifics of the trip and whether supporting documents are needed. Officials have also signaled that visa-on-arrival remains available for certain nationalities, where travelers can pay by card at airport kiosks—useful for those who decide to travel at short notice but who still meet eligibility rules.
Travel planners say the promise of approvals within minutes is likely to appeal to visitors uncertain about committing weeks ahead. Coupled with multi-entry functionality, it presents a practical option for people who need to make repeated short trips. The government’s emphasis on a single, user-friendly dashboard aligns with how travelers now book flights and hotels, and the integration of health insurance for tourist e-Visas reduces the number of separate purchases required before departure. As Saudi Arabia scales up events—from cultural festivals to sports tournaments—the efficiency and predictability of the visa channel may be as important as any new attraction.
For Indian expatriates and the wider diaspora, the change could ease trips that mix personal and professional reasons. Families split between cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, and Bengaluru often plan visits around school holidays or corporate schedules, and the ability to rely on predictable online approvals should cut down on the cost and stress of planning. The lower headline fee for many tourist applicants compared with the previously reported SAR 756 will also factor into decisions, especially for travelers paying for multiple family members. On the education front, students and professionals attending short-term training or academic events stand to benefit from reduced paperwork and faster turnarounds that fit within tight timetables.
The e-Visa expansion does not change the seasonal structure of Hajj, and Umrah visas continue to apply outside the Hajj period. What has changed is the ease of booking services through the Umrah platform, which went live on August 20, 2025 and allows users to align travel dates, accommodation, and transport in one place. Officials say that connectivity across government systems should reduce errors that can arise when data is re-entered across multiple sites, and the multilingual interface is meant to minimize confusion for applicants whose first language is not Arabic or English.
Saudi Arabia’s border modernization is part of a broader pattern in which countries are digitizing entry systems to compete for visitors and investment. The Kingdom’s pitch is that its e-Visa platform combines speed, lower fees in many cases, and clear rules—attributes that are directly tied to Vision 2030 targets to attract more international arrivals, expand the events calendar, and stimulate private-sector growth linked to travel. In practice, where travelers once faced patchy information and variable processing times, they can now apply through a single official channel, pay online, and receive a digital visa by email—often in the time it takes to book a flight.
Officials caution travelers to use official portals to avoid scams and unnecessary service charges. The safest path is the government’s designated site, where the application, payment, and issuance all occur under one account. For most standard trips—tourism, business visits, family reunions, and Umrah outside Hajj—the streamlined system is intended to be the default. As more countries are added to the eligibility list and as processing tools are refined, authorities expect approvals to remain fast and volume to climb.
Applications and guidance are available via the official Saudi eVisa portal, which lists eligibility, categories, fees, and processing options. Travelers should check that their passport has at least six months’ validity at the time of application and keep copies of their receipts and emails. For those planning religious travel, the Umrah platform offers visa and service bookings in seven languages. Together, these tools are the backbone of the Kingdom’s current effort to expand tourism mobility and make entry to Saudi Arabia predictable and quick, whether the purpose is a family visit, a trade fair, or a pilgrimage outside the Hajj season.
This Article in a Nutshell
In August 2025 Saudi Arabia rolled out an instant e-Visa platform to streamline short-stay travel, aligning with Vision 2030 goals. The system serves citizens from more than 60 countries, typically issues tourist e-Visas within 24–48 hours, and supports one-year validity with stays up to 90 days per visit. An Umrah-specific digital channel launched August 20, 2025, offering multilingual booking and integrated services. Fees are clearer—tourist e-Visas around SAR 300—with expedited options and a visa-on-arrival option retained for eligible nationalities.
